1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to power converters, and more specifically, the invention relates to reducing power consumption of a high power power converter during a standby operating condition.
2. Background
Electrical devices require power to operate. Power is typically delivered through a wall outlet as high-voltage ac power. A device generally referred to as a switching power supply is typically used to convert the ac power from the wall outlet to dc power that is supplied to the electrical device. The power supply typically remains plugged into the wall outlet, even when the electrical device is not in use. A consequence of the power supply remaining plugged into the wall outlet is that power is typically consumed by the power supply whether or not the electrical device is turned on or off.
In order to minimize energy consumption in power supplies like the one described above, a bulky relay is typically used on the input of the power supply to disconnect the main power supply from the ac line while using a small standby power supply to provide system standby power.